Germain Racine (Julien Poulin) has been driving his truck
for nearly 45 years and is approaching his pension. On one of his regular hauls,
a car crashes head-on into his truck. The female driver dies later on in the
hospital. Germain is now filled with guilt and remorse. He calls his son Samuel
(Patrice Dubois) and leaves a message saying what happened and wants to talk to
someone. Samuel works as a janitor for a high-rise office building in Montreal.
His boss accords him two weeks leave. He goes first to New
Brunswick to pick up his brother Alain (Stephane Breton) who is staying in a
motel in St John. Together they return to their home town (somewhere in the
Lower Basin of the St Lawrence River near the New Brunswick border) to give
emotional support to their dad who has slipped into a lethargic, guilt-filled depression.
Rafaël Ouellet has
superbly crafted a touching human drama about a father and his two emotionally
estranged sons who due to an adversity must now confront their individual
dramas in order to rediscover what really unites them and to rekindle the hope
for the future.The original score was composed by Vivian Audet and
Robin-Joel Cool (together known as Mentana) with a little help from Erik
West-Millette (discography to come). It is intermingled with folk pop songs
from Richmond Fontaine, Will Driving West and other artists. The minimal and
delicate soundtrack plus the songs deftly sets the melancholic rural mood of
the film and factors into its spare aesthetic.

Friday, 17 August 2012

A sentimental family fantasy about a couple who bury a box
containing their wish list for ‘the ideal child’ in their backyard garden. The
film opens with Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) being
interviewed for a prospective adoption. When asked why they are ready to adopt
they ask the adoption agents to let them tell their story. The agents agree to
let them do so.Cindy and Jim live in the small town of Stanleyville, which
is billed as the Capital of the Pencil. They desperately want to start a family.
When told by their family doctor that
they are unable to have children, they are obviously devastated. That night,
they jot down on separate sheets of paper a wish list for the ‘ideal child’.
They subsequently put the sheets of paper in a box and bury it in the backyard
garden. The next morning a ten-year-old boy Timothy (CJ Adams),
caked in mud and leaves on his legs, walks into their lives. Cindy, Jim and the
people of Stanleyville learn that life’s most valued gifts often come
unexpectedly.

In a remote drought-ridden village
somewhere in North Africa, the women go to a mountaintop spring to fetch water
while the men, who are all unemployed, idle away their days drinking tea. On
this particular day, some of the women have stayed behind to assist in
another’s childbirth. Leila, who is well into her pregnancy, is at the
mountaintop spring. When the women are returning to the village, Leila falls
and loses her baby. Hers is not the first; it has happened to many others in
the village. Yet when the women return to the village, they all join in the
celebration.

All except for Leila who exclaims
that it is time to speak out and to change. She finds support in her
schoolteacher husband Sami (Saleh Bakri) and in the matriarch of the village
Mother Rifle (Biyouna). With Mother Rifle’s influence she convinces the rest of
the women to go on strike “No sex until the men agree that fetching water
should be a shared task.”

Radu Mihăileanu’s humanist touch
prevails as usual with this film as he deals with the emancipation of women
(seeing that it is set in a Muslim context it will not be well received in
Islamic societies) and the general negative concepts that many men have towards
women. To appreciate the film better, I highly recommend that it be viewed in
its original Arabic with either English or French subtitles (The version I saw
was with French subtitles. I have viewed trailers that were dubbed and its
‘power’ is lost in translation). This is a well-acted and conceived film that
comes with the right balance of humour and drama; includes majestic settings;
deals with universal and vital themes.

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Dramatic thriller showing the interconnection (conceptually
similar to ‘Touch’ – the new TV series on the Fox Network in the United States)
between everyone that inhabits the Earth today, how a simple decision by one
man can have a dramatic consequence that ripples around the globe, returning 360 degrees
to the initial decision. The film begins in Vienna and seamlessly weaves
itself through Paris, London, Bratislava, Rio, Denver and Phoenix, crossing 8
borders and 7 languages spoken; a series of interconnected stories centering on
romance and relationships in the 21st Century. The film boasts an
all-star international cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster and Jude
Law to name but a few. The opening ‘decision’ unfurls as follows: in order to help
her family out of some financial difficulties and to be able to change her
life, a young Slovakian woman Mirkha (Lucia Siposová),
is in a Vienna photo studio posing nude for the internet. It is quickly revealed
that this is for a high class escort agency when the photographer (Johannes Krisch) asks her to do
something ‘special.’ She tells her younger sister, Anna (Gabriela Marcinkova),
who had accompanied her. Anna tries to dissuade her but to no avail. Mirkha’s
mind is made up and she needs the money. She is to meet a businessman, Michael
Daly (Jude Law). Michael is married to Rose (Rachel Weisz) and has a daughter. He
is in Vienna to close a deal. Both Mirkha and Michael show up at the meeting
place but Michael loses his nerve and leaves the premises...

China Film Business Week from August 27th till 31stTributes to Sam Spiegel Film and TV School from Jerusalem and
Tel Aviv University Department of Film and Television (five each).Elephant will present a restored copy of Jean-Claude Lauzon’s
1992 film “Léolo.”

Master Class by German Director Volker Schlöndorff.

Mel Hoppenheim, President and CEO of Mel’s
Cité du Cinéma and benefactor of Concordia’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema,
will receive the “Grand Prize of the Americas.”

A run-down of all the films seen at this year’s festival. As
time permits a more elaborate critique (features only) will appear under the
label “Film Box-Office.” They will be identified with the WFF2012 logo. Updates
will appear on a frequent basis (hopefully once a day) so please visit
frequently.

By profiling a group of creative thinkers from a wide variety of disciplines,
Tim Cawley’s first feature-length film documents the creative process from the
birth of an idea to its breakthrough moment. Every aspect of the process is
touched upon through the use of interviews and ample samplings of the creations
and joining each chapter through animated sequences centred on the Frankenstein
myth.

An anthology of seven short films depicting a contemporary
portrait of this eclectic city:

El Yuma, Monday,
Benicio Del Toro

Jam Session, Tuesday, Pablo Trapero

La Tentación de Cecilia, Wednesday, Julio
Médem

Diary of a Beginner, Thursday, Elia
Suleiman

Ritual, Friday, Gaspar Noé

Dulce Amargo, Saturday, Juan Carlos Tabío

La Fuente, Sunday, Laurent Cantet

The films’ basic
themes are the interactions between Cubans and foreigners and between
themselves, their devotion to religious beliefs and their approach to sexual
orientation. As with most anthologies, the quality was varied.

To many Westerners, a trip to Japan is perceived as a way to
achieve personal spiritual enlightenment, an easy way out of their doldrums.
Recently retired Quebec university professor, Pierre Masson has arrived in the southern
Japanese archipelago Okinawa for that purpose. After completing a university
level seminar in Naha City, he decides to travel to the northern end of
Okinawa. Before he embarks upon the trip Junko (a 40-year-old woman who is running
away from her abusive husband) takes refuge in his arms and becomes his guide
into the culture of Okinawa. He decides to follow destiny.

Marko, living in Berlin since he
graduated university, sees his parents Gitte and Günter twice a year with son
Zowie. Now retired, Günter has sold his publishing company. Marko’s brother Jakob operates a dental clinic
financed by Günter. Gitte suffering from a psychiatric disorder that has made
life difficult for the family makes an announcement during supper that triggers
conflicting reactions upsetting everyone’s plans for a peaceful weekend together.
She has stopped taking her medication. This powerful film exposes the fragility
and often hypocritical aura that envelopes many families and how each of us
wear the ‘Mask of Silence.’

Victor
and Rainer take the train to Paris for a night of clubbing; initially full of
hope – Victor hopes to pick up a girl; Rainer wants to cure his chronic
insomnia. When both fail to achieve their goal they leave the club with Victor
in tears and Rainer trying to console him by saying they should ‘rejoice in
everything.’ They share joints, roam around the streets, abandoned train
stations and forested neighbourhoods of Paris; react aggressively to passer-bys
and express their love for each other. As with our 2 protagonists, the movie
comes out as a rather aimless exercise.

Torontonian
yuppie couple Ben and Gail must face the harsh reality: their facade of
affluence is crumbling; they need to find ways to reduce spending. They decide
to fire their live-in nanny, Margarita, who for six years, has been taking care
of their daughter Mali and running the whole household. Neither her employers nor her lover, law
student Jane, knew that she has been living illegally in Canada. Margarita
decides to return to Mexico but Ben, Gail and Jane try to figure out a way for
her to stay in Canada. Average yet delightful comedy addressing many
contemporary issues.

Doctor
Yossi Hoffman, in anguish over his homosexuality and the death of his lover 10
years ago, pushes away his colleagues as they try to get close to him. When his
lover’s mother is in hospital for tests, he feels the need to tell her and her
husband about his relationship with her son. Forced to take a vacation,he is
accompanied by 4 soldiers on leave. A relationship develops with one of them. A
sensitive drama about the changing world in which we live in – factors that
shaped our world no longer shape that of the younger generation.

Liv og
Ingmar / Liv and Ingmar /Liv et Ingmar, Norway / Norvège 2012, 81m, Dheeraj
AkolkarLegendary actress Liv Ullman relates through her own words
the profound yet tumultuous relation she had with master filmmaker Ingmar
Bergman. Bergman described their relationship as a ‘painful connection.’
Starting from their meeting in 1965 while shooting ‘Persona’, Ullman recounts
the various stages of their relationship from muse to lover to enemies and
ending as best friends; a relationship that endured for 42-years and 12-films
and experienced the full range of emotions. The film includes a collage of
images and sounds from their films, archival footage and excerpts from her book
‘Changing’ and his letters to her.

Ever since Kenichi Nakamura’s wife, Hisako, was killed in a
hit-and-run accident 5 years ago, he has had little interest in doing anything
else but to repeatedly listen to her last phone message. Meanwhile, Kijima who
had been in jail for committing the hit-and-run has just returned home. 2
months before the anniversary of the accident – August 10th – Kijima
has been receiving threatening letters stating that in so many days (counting
down to the anniversary) “I will kill you then kill myself.” The questions
arise: did Kenichi send it; what does he mean? A typical Japanese black comedy.

March 11th 2011, Japan devastated by an earthquake
followed by a tsunami resulting in a death toll estimated to have surpassed 20
thousand. One of the most complex and daunting tasks faced by survivors was the
collection, identification and preparation of those who lost their lives in
order to ‘reunite’ them with their family. They needed to be treated with dignity,
respect and honour. Based on real events, this drama superbly captures with
accurate precision how difficult and emotionally draining this task was, especially
if the town’s only crematorium was not working and the large number of victims
involved.

Faithful adaptation of Franz Kafka iconic novella. For 5 years, traveling salesman Gregor Samsa
wakes up in time to get the train at 5am one morning. One morning, after a
troubled night’s sleep, Gregor awakens late. His family are at the door of his
bedroom and later his office manager, wondering what is wrong. When he finally
does open the door, they react with fear, anger, ineffectiveness and
misunderstanding – he has turned into a venomous insect. A strong social
comment of the failure of those dependent upon us to accept it with love and
understanding when we become incapacitated.

This very disturbing drama exposes the fine line that exists
between 'living with dignity’ and having too much pride to admit that we need
help, especially when we are no longer able to care for ourselves. The
character of Stephen, a sick elderly widower, is superbly portrayed by Lou
Castel and in such a manner that we do not have any sympathy him. All in all a
very frightening situation and one that should encourage those approaching this
time of our lives to the realization that dignity includes knowing when it is
time that we ought to seek help.

This drama is a love story whose historical context is the beginning
of Japan's invasion of China in 1937. Waner’s marriage to Hou is arranged and
the wedding day was the first time they meet. Hou has brought his mistress and
clearly shows a lack of interest in Waner. Accepting her fate, she teaches
Chinese calligraphy to her niece Honge. Xuan, her brother-in-law, begins to
write poetry for the local paper. She decides to write to him but she uses a
synonym. When Xuan is sent to fight the invading Japanese, Waner has fallen in
love with him.

The Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) was an Albanian
insurgent organization that fought to have Kosovo united
with Albania, leading to the war of 1998-99. Neighbours once best of friends, now
bitter enemies. The bridge crossing the Ibar River on the border between
Albania and Kosovo is heavily guarded. Danica (husband killed during the war)
raising her 2 sons (born in Albania), Danilo and Vlado lives on the Kosovo side.
When Ramiz (a KLA soldier) shows up critically injured, Danica must choose
whether to save him and risk hers and the children’s lives or turn him over to
the Serbs?

This drama superbly conveys the emotionally tense atmosphere
that existed in post WWII Stalinist USSR. Everyone lived in the fear of being
denounced at any moment even by family. The film also looks at the raw wounds
caused by the war and attempts to answer the question as to when expiation
(atonement) will occur amongst the people; when justice and freedom will
prevail; and is love the catalyst for such healing? The film is set in southern
USSR December/ January 1946 and its central figures are Sasha and August, who meet
and are immediately smitten with each other.

A sensitive and touching drama that shows that love can
strike at any moment of our lives, even at 80-years-old. Rosa has just been
given notice that she has cancer and has only 6 months left to live. When she
gets back to her apartment, she discovers that her niece has already canceled
the lease and someone else is now staying there. While she sits outside, she
meets Bruno. Bruno had settled into a routine marriage and family life. A chance
encounter that awakens a deep passion that both had long thought dead. Engaging
performances from the 2 leads.

Louis, the son of his high school’s headmaster, is an ideal student
until he befriends Greg who is provocative and violently angry. Greg faces
expulsion from school after threatening Camille, an inexperienced English
teacher, with scissors. Greg decides to get revenge and teach her a lesson by
kidnapping her. He convinces Louis to be an accomplice. Together they bring
bound, gagged and humiliated to an isolated cabin in a marsh. Louis believes
that she would be released the next day but Greg’s plans are more evil and
sinister. Louis is now forced to confront his own inner demons.

Troumaron is an impoverished neighbourhood of Port-Louis,
the capital of Mauritius. The older generation stays indoors looking at life
through frayed curtains due to rampant unemployment as the factory has shut
down. The youth rule the streets with the girls ignoring the gaze of the boys.
The stories of 4 of these youths describe their daily and nightly activities, their
struggle to survive with a future that is worrisome. The performance of the
non-professional actors was done with integrity, without illusions and through
naked eyes.

This powerful drama depicts the destructiveness of differing
ideologies even within close-knit families. 25 years ago, Sungho was
repatriated to North Korea. The rest of his family, including his younger
sister Rie, stayed in Japan. Sungho’s and Rie’s father is a member of the
Korean Association. He arranged to allow Sungho to return to Japan
(unofficially) for 3 months. Sungho is in need of medical treatment not
available in North Korea. Comrade Yang accompanies him in order to ensure he
keeps within Party policies. Sungho and his family must now face an enormous
gulf between them. Excellent
performances.

Sally tries to avoid excitement and romance. She makes a
living writing an advice column for a local newspaper. She goes by the
pseudonym ‘Mr Know it All.’ When a celebrity, during an interview, claims that
her column changed his life, the editor of the newspaper wants to publish an
image of Mr Know it All and that it needs to be a man. While in a movie
theatre, Sally spots Albert; submits his image. Albert is actually a contract
killer; must remain incognito so Mr Know it All must be eliminated; fun comedy
about trying to maintain facades.

Slow moving drama about a Sri Lankan man, Sarathsiri a pawnshop
owner with feelings of guilt over atrocities committed upon the Tamil during
the war. When Eashwari, a Tamil refugee, walks into the pawnshop, Sarathsiri is
intrigued by her. An older widowed
businessman proposes, Sarathsiri beats him to it. He tries to maintain a
distance, but when an old army buddy arrives the secret comes out. Eashwari,
remembering the murder of her 2 brothers, becomes depressed, cold and distant.
Sarathsiri desperately needs to win her love all over again... The film is
imbued with a sense of melancholy throughout.

When Ramón Antúnez gets laid off from his job as a labourer
in a sawmill plant in the province of Misiones, his best friend Antonio
persuades him to accompany him in smuggling marijuana from Paraguay. This he
does via the river and he assures Ramón that it would be easy. But when Leiva
notices that part of the shipment is missing he doesn’t buy Antonio’s story and
wants retribution.

Between 1976 and 1983, Argentina was governed by a
repressive military dictatorship. An estimated 30 thousand people were
kidnapped, tortured and killed during this period. These are referred to as
‘the disappeared.’ Many of their children were put up for adoption and their
true identities erased. This
is the story of one such case.

Andrea and Giulia seemingly have a perfect marriage with the
exception of a satisfying sexual component. So when Giulia’s best friend Max,
who is a renowned porn star in the United States, returns to Italy after an absence
of 25 years, she approaches him for help in making the sexual component more exciting.
Andrea has a typical masculine reaction: everything is fine. Max also guides
Simone, their teenage son, how to win over his best friend, Martina. Shot in
3D, this sex farce is very humorous and thoroughly entertaining.

During WWII, Finland was the only nation that prepared its
fallen heroes in special centers, before bringing them back home for proper
burial. The men would bring them to the center, build the coffins and made sure
the fires were still burning. The women cleaned the corpses and ‘repaired’ them
if need be. The group included a chaplain and a ‘guide’ who ‘comforted’ the
dead who would be whispering in ‘silence.’ This is the story of one such center
situated around 10km from the Russian front; 4 men and 3 women trying to
survive being surrounded by death.

Delightful provincial Chinese comedy about a man, Mado, who
rents part of his land to the Boss to use as a graveyard for someone special.
The Boss is willing to pay for all expenses and to provide Mado and his wife with
a substantial monthly salary. Mado willingly agrees but when he sees that it is
the Boss’ dog that is buried, and in a black suit and tie along with 2 live
goats, he begins to see visions of the dog’s spirit – a human body with a dog’s
head. Only he can see ... so a free-for-all ensues.

Mia, an Italian photographer based in Paris, decides to go
to Cambodia to surprise her timber trading husband Xavier. Her hopes for a
romantic welcome are dashed when she sees him having sex with an 11-year-old
girl. Shocked and angered she decides to buy the girl’s life back. Along with
two other girls, Mia embarks on a perilous journey through the Cambodian
jungles to bring them back to their families. They must be one step ahead of
the police and the girls’ pimps. A conceptually powerful film weakened by poor
performances and heavy Italian and Cambodian accents when speaking English.

Ali and Leila are an Iranian couple struggling to make a
better life for themselves in Vancouver. He owns a pizzeria and she is a
talented seamstress. Ali is thinking of opening a second one. Sarah, Leila’s
boss, offers her a partnership in her firm as a designer; her dreams are about
to come true. But Sarah has an unprofessional attraction to Leila. When Ali’s
pizzeria begins to struggle, he is forced to lay off his 2 assistants and
relies on Leila even more. The pressure on Leila increases and she is forced to
face some very difficult decisions.

This is one of the most powerful short films I have ever
seen and by far the best of the 8 I have seen so far at this year’s edition; a
scathing indictment of oppression, injustice and governmental approved cruelty.
Neda Agha Soltan (1982-2009) courageously fought for the basic human right for
freedom and justice following the Iranian elections in 2009. She was tragically
shot down by a sniper who was ‘following orders.’

The filmmaker follows shepherds Pascal (53) and Carole (28)
as they do their annual ‘transhumance’
through the wintery countryside of Switzerland skirting highways, railway
tracks, suburbs, factories, fields and forests with 3 donkeys, 4 dogs and a
flock of 800 sheep. Along the way they brave harsh weather, meeting local people,
dealing with friendly and unfriendly farmers. An engaging human drama documenting a dying
tradition.

In a hidden location, somewhere in Belgium, teenage girls
await the delivery of their babies in secret. Many of these girls are orphaned
or have been abandoned by their parents. Most have unwittingly signed away
their parental rights and the child is put up for adoption. Each girl is given
another name. When Katherine arrives, she is renamed Katja. She becomes best
friends with Roxanne. As her due date approaches she and Roxanne plot to escape
the institution and be able to keep their babies. This is a tragic tale of
abandonment, deception and the naivety of youth.

In 1970, Bruno, a shy and awkward student, travels from
Germany to a kibbutz in Israel. His recently deceased mother has given him a
letter to give to his biological father, Avi. At first, Avi who is a Holocaust survivor
briskly turns him away. Bruno strongly persists. Avi breaks his silence and
recounts to Bruno the story behind his birth. This human drama deftly exposes
the treachery that is rampant in human relations and especially more so during
times of war.

Renowned director, Jack Hussar, is sitting in a Los Angeles
airport. Brad introduces himself; says he wants to produce Jack’s next movie;
picks up the tab for everything; taking him around Hollywood searching
for potential investors. Jack meets Diana. Quickly tiring of her, he goes to
meet Lorenzo, a major studio head, ‘negotiates’ the terms for his next film. He
returns and says goodbye to a sleeping Diana. She awakes and it is now 15 – 20 years
later. Jack’s son, also named Jack, is in town seeking to make his first film,
history repeating itself – like father like son?

Edward, almost 30, still lives with his parents in a small
mid-western American town. He works in the local post-office; often frequenting
the El Mariachi, a Mexican eatery. When he hears the owner, Alberto, sing a
mariachi song, Edward is inspired to resume playing his guitar. He asks Alberto
to teach him mariachi. Alberto agrees.
Alberto suffers a stroke; Edward is laid off; decides it is time for a change; runs
off to Guadalajara. Is he ‘destined’ to become a mariachi for the people?
Touching human drama that is filled with positive moral values and invaluable
wisdom filled proverbs.

Director’s first film is a tribute to the classic film noir
genre of the 1940s and 50s. The year is 1958 and a mysterious woman, Mrs
Hephren, is in an interrogation room. She is being questioned about the murder
of her husband.Ce premier
film du réalisateur est un hommage au classique film noir des années 1940 et
1950. L'année est 1958 et une femme mystérieuse, Mme Hephren, est dans une
salle d'interrogatoire. Elle est en cours d’êtrequestionnée sur le meurtre de son mari.

Pietro, 28-years-old, has just moved to Rome. Accompanied by
his cousin, Mary, he looks for a place to rent. He finds an old stately home
that is in serious need of repair but most importantly the rent is cheap. But as
he settles into his new place he begins to see and hear signs that he is not
alone. Who are they and why won’t they leave? Exacerbating the situation is
that only Pietro can see them. Delightful and entertaining family comedy with a
concept that combines elements of Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and tales
of haunted houses.

5 years ago, Yvan’s wife left him and their 2 daughters with
another man to go to Thailand. His daughters are staying with his sister Ariane
and her husband Luc. They both despise him. Seeing that he has nothing to keep
him in Paris, he is planning to move to Brittany – an old family cottage. But
then, his ex brings Leo – fathered by the man she left with and has now left
her. As well he meets Emmanuelle – slightly neurotic but attractive. Yvan now
has to rethink about his plans. Commonly treated concept resulting in this
average comedy.

Fall 1943, the forests of Poland, a small cell of resistance
fighters waiting for orders; ridden with hunger and disease. Their task: to capture and kill Nazis and
Polish collaborators. Otter is the man who does most of the executions. After
one such execution, that of Kondolevich – a former school mate and now a
collaborator, Otter returns to the camp to find that the rest of his squad has been
massacred. What happened? This potentially powerful tale of betrayal and
revenge is somewhat diminished by a confusing usage of flashbacks and poor
editing.

François works the regular 9-5 job in an
office where no sees him and his boss patronizes him. He has been a ‘nobody’ for
2 years. That is, until the day his boss verbally assaults him. François then
begins to view the people around him as objects – as mannequins. Mixing in
animation and dance this short is a powerful statement of how isolated we have
become despite our high-tech connections.

Since China established its one child policy in 1979, many
mothers have had to give up or abandon new born children – many to abortion or
adoption. This film examines the emotional echoes felt by the mothers who have
given up a child, an adopted child who has grown up in an alien culture and a
couple from Ottawa who adopt a new born.Depuis que
la Chine a établi sa politique d'un enfant par famille en 1979, beaucoup de
mères ont dû renoncer ou d'abandonner leur enfants nouveau-nés – beaucoup de
l'avortement ou l'adoption. Ce film examine les échos émotionnels ressentis par
les mères qui ont renoncé à un enfant, un enfant adopté qui a grandi dans une
culture étrangère et un couple d'Ottawa qui adoptent un nouveau né.

If You Really Knew Me, Canada 2012, 15m, G. Christianne
Hirt Shaw

Though Zach seems to have everything a teen would want –
intelligence, a place on the high school team and appreciation from his peers,
he feels that he is drowning and is about to make a fateful decision.Bien que
Zach semble avoir tout qu'un adolescent voudrais – l’intelligence, une place
dans l'équipe du lycée et la reconnaissance de ses pairs, il sent qu'il ce noie
et qu'il est sur le point de prendre une décision fatidique.

Formentera, Germany / Allemagne 2012, 93m, Ann-Kristin
Reyels

Ben is going back to his family’s vacation resort on the
island of Formentera. He brings his wife Nina but they leave their 3-year-old
daughter with Nina’s mother. Well acted social drama with subtle mysterious
undercurrents that leaves the viewer wondering about the real motives behind everyone's
behaviours. The mystery thickens when Mara disappears after a wild beach party
where she and Nina decide to swim to Ibiza. Ben and Nina remain silent about
what really happened.

It is nearing the end of WWII and the Soviets are quickly
approaching Berlin. In a forested area accessible only through a swamp, a battalion
of Soviet tanks, headed by a man who was found with 90% of his body burnt. He
remembers nothing of his past except that somewhere in the swamp, lying in
wait, is a Nazi super tank. He calls it the White Tiger and convinces his superiors
to build a rival super tank. Very sluggish film that even the heavy amount of
fire power could not prevent brief periods of dozing off.

Powerful and riveting social historical drama recounting the
struggle of the local rail workers of French West Africa, who wished to be
treated with dignity and equal status; told from the point of view of Sokna, a
poor but brilliant student. She had witnessed the initial protest in 1938 and
their cold-blooded massacre that included her father. Pierre, a young French
doctor, who quickly discovers that neither equality nor fraternity exist, sides
with the oppressed. After his arrival the local railway workers went on a
strike, that beginning October 10 1947, crippled the railway for 5 months.

Anne is a novice nun who is assigned the task of caring for
a man who may not make it through the night. Memories of an encounter when she
was a child begin to surface. Is her heart pure enough to resist such dark
memories?Anne est
une nonne novice qui est confiée la tâche de s'occuper d'un homme qui ne survivre
pas la nuit. Des souvenirs d'une rencontre lorsqu'elle était enfant reviennent
à la surface. Est-ce que son esprit sera assez pur pour résister à ces sombres
souvenirs?

Million Dollar Crocodile, China / Chine 2012, 95m,
Lisheng Lin

China’s first ‘monster movie’ is about an 8 meter, 2 ton
crocodile named Amao who escapes being turned into soup by a shady businessman.
As Amao rampages throughout the provincial countryside trying to avoid capture,
her only friends being Xiao Xing – a nine-year-old-boy – and Bald Liu – a reptile
wrangler who owned a farm but had to sell all of his reptiles to the businessman.
Wen Yan, who had just returned from Italy with a large stash of Euros that was
equivalent of 1 million dollars – it was swallowed up by Amao. Delightful
comedy that reflects today’s Chinese social attitudes.

Nancy's Books are sold on Kindle or you can email her at hovecreekproductions@gmail.com

Beyond the Dream: Epic Solitude - Nancy's collection of Poetry & short stories. Contact hovecreekproductions@gmail.com or Click on image to read article. Here is the link to Martin Barry's article: http://martincbarry.weebly.com. Book is also available on Amazon Kindle

To purchase Nancy Snipper's books on Kindle,

Nancy Snipper's CDs available

Nancy Snipper is also an accomplished singer/songwriter – banjo player and classical pianist. Her three CDs have garnered much media praise along with her performances (Canada, Mexico, Cuba). Her voice is astoundingly beautiful – velvety in her blues numbers, sensual and sizzling in her folk, rock and country compositions. Now you can own one of her CDs. For enquiries about owning her CDs and/or booking performances contact her at this email: hovecreekproductions@gmail.com. Her CDs help raise money for cancer research.

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Collaborators / Collaborateurs:

Sylvain Richard

Nancy Snipper

Note / Nota:

July 10, 2016:The beginning of a new and exciting chapter! Nancy Snipper's (a.k.a S.N.) first posting on her own blog: http://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.ca/**********************************************To see all articles on a specific topic, scroll down to LABELS and click on desired LABEL. Full articles will appear one after the other that pertain to that label.Keep scrolling down to view more articles, and at end of page, click on OLDER POSTS to read more.Enjoy!